The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will play a 2025 MLB regular season game at the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway, multiple sources have told The Athletic.
Though MLB declined to comment, commissioner Rob Manfred and Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith are expected to make the announcement on Friday, according to the report.
Bristol Motor Speedway opened in 1961 and hosts two NASCAR race weekends per year on its half-mile track. The stadium seats 146,000 fans for races, though for special events that number can vary. In 2016, the Tennessee Volunteers played Virginia Tech in a college football game on the track's infield. The 156,990 fans at the game made it the highest-attended college football game ever.
The track also hosted an NFL exhibition game in 1961 between Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles, and an FCS football game in 2016 between East Tennessee State and Western Carolina.
MLB adds Bristol Motor Speedway to its list of special events sites
Since Rob Manfred became MLB commissioner in 2015, the game has begun traveling outside of its current footprint to host special events. A game at Bristol will be next on the list.
In 2019, the Yankees and Red Sox played in the first MLB London Series at London Stadium. The series returned in 2023 (Cubs vs. Cardinals) and 2024 (Mets vs. Phillies).
In 2021, MLB also hosted the Field of Dreams game in Iowa next to the actual field from the hit 1989 movie. That game returned in 2022, before construction prevented the series from continuing. Instead, the Giants and Cardinals played at Birmingham, Alabama's Rickwood Field in 2024 as a tribute to the Negro Leagues and former Giant Willie Mays, who passed away just days before the game was played.
Beyond the United States, MLB has hosted regular season games in Mexico City, Tokyo, and Seoul.
MLB's next special events game will be on August 18, when the Yankees and Tigers play in the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
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